Binzhou, a major industrial city in Shandong province, is embracing technological innovation to develop new quality productive forces and accelerate industrial transformation, according to Li Chuntian, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and mayor of Binzhou.

The city is home to 91 national and provincial manufacturing champion enterprises and 82 products that lead the market globally or nationally.

"Traditional industries are not backward by nature," Li said. "What matters is using technology to unlock their potential."

One example is Binzhou's aluminum advanced manufacturing laboratory, the first provincial-level lab built by a private company in Shandong. It has helped shift the aluminum industry from resource-intensive production toward a more recycling-based model.

Binzhou has also cultivated a dynamic innovation ecosystem. Its new energy and new materials cluster has surpassed 100 billion yuan in revenue, becoming the city's sixth industry to reach that milestone.

During the ongoing two sessions, Li called for greater government support for local platforms that help turn research into market-ready products. He also emphasized the need to improve policies for pilot testing and make it easier to move from lab research to industrial application.

Binzhou plans to add more than five new provincial-level innovation platforms this year.